Drive-INventor

Written By Mary Bellis

Richard Hollingshead was a young sales manager at his dad's Whiz Auto Products, who had a hankering to invent something that combined his two interests: cars and movies.

Richard Hollingshead's vision was an open-air movie theater where moviegoers could watch from their own cars. He experimented in his own driveway at 212 Thomas Avenue, Camden, New Jersey. The inventor mounted a 1928 Kodak projector on the hood of his car, projected onto a screen he had nailed to trees in his backyard, and used a radio placed behind the screen for sound.

The inventor subjected his beta drive-in to vigorous testing: for sound quality, for different weather conditions (Richard used a lawn sprinkler to imitate rain) and for figuring out how to park the patrons' cars. Richard tried lining up the cars in his driveway, which created a problem with line of sight if one car was directly parked behind another car. By spacing cars at various distances and placing blocks and ramps under the front wheels of cars that were further away from the screen, Richard Hollingshead created the perfect parking arrangement for the drive-in movie theater experience.



The first patent for the Drive-In Theater (United States Patent# 1,909,537) was issued on May 16, 1933. With an investment of $30,000, Richard opened the first drive-in on Tuesday June 6, 1933 at a location on Crescent Boulevard, Camden, New Jersey. The price of admission was 25 cents for the car and 25 cents per person.

Read more of Mary Bellis's article "Drive-INventor" by clicking here

Drive-In Movie Memories

I watched this documentary on PBS today and really enjoyed it. I found a cut-up version on YouTube that shows most of the documentary (44 minutes out of the 58 minutes). The clips on YouTube are being used to promote the sale of the DVD on Amazon.com. There are some weird parts where the voices blend over each other, but other then that it is very watchable and very interesting. If you read my blog with any regularity you know that we are fortunate enough to still have access to two fully functional drive-in theaters that we like to visit regularly. Its getting to be the drive-in time of year for those of you who don't live in the sunny south. You should do a little Internet research and find a drive-in near your home to visit this summer.

The United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association
Drive-ins.com

Drive-In Double Features!

Every Thursday in June on TCM!

Complete schedule:

JUNE 2ND
8:00 PM - Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956)
9:45 PM - Rodan (1957)
11:15 PM - Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
1:00 AM - Godzilla Vs. Monster Zero (1970)
2:45 AM - Dinosaurus! (1960)
4:15 AM - The Valley of Gwangi (1969)

JUNE 9TH
8:00 PM - Them! (1954)
9:45 PM - The Cosmic Monsters (1958)
11:15 PM - Tarantula (1955)
12:45 AM - The Black Scorpion (1957)
2:30 AM - The Giant Claw (1957)
3:00 AM - The Wasp Woman (1959)

JUNE 16TH
8:00 PM - Attack of the 50-Foot Woman (1958)
9:30 PM - Village of the Giants (1965)
11:00 PM - Queen of Outer Space (1958)
12:30 AM - Mars Needs Women (1968)
2:00 AM - Cyclops (1957)
3:30 AM - The Manster (1962)
4:45 AM - The Killer Shrews (1959)

JUNE 23RD
8:00 PM - It Came From Beneath the Sea (1955)
9:30 PM - The Monster that Challenged the World (1957)
11:00 PM - The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
12:30 AM - The Giant Behemoth (1959)
2:00 AM - The Phantom From 10,000 Leagues (1955)
3:30 AM - Creature From the Haunted Sea (1961)

JUNE 30TH
8:00 PM - The Blob (1958)
9:30 PM - The H-Man (1958)
11:00 PM - The Magnetic Monster (1953)
12:30 AM - X The Unknown (1956)
2:00 AM - The Thing From Another World (1951)
3:30 AM - It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958)

Hell Yeah!

Double Feature at the Silvermoon Drive-In

We're going to the Silvermoon Drive-In tonight for a double feature of . . .



followed by . . .



Popcorn, nachos, and friends.
See you at the Drive In.

Drive-In HorrorShow

Drive-In HorrorShow

For Your Eating Fun

We love the retro ads for concessions they play at our local drive-in, The Silver Moon Drive-In. I found videos of the spots they play before the movie and thought I'd share them. This one is our favorite, we recite it along with the announcer.


"Who me?"

Movie Manor Motor Inn

Welcome to the Best Western - Movie Manor Motor Inn!
I wouldn't usually provide free advertising for a motel, BUT it's a drive-in theater/Movie Motel! How could I not tell the World!

Welcome to Kelloff's Best Western Movie Manor, a unique concept in motel accommodations. Most rooms face our Giant Outdoor Movie Screen so that you can enjoy watching the latest movies, complete with sound, without leaving the comfort of your room. Feel free to try our snack bar inside the drive-in for your favorite movie treat. Movies are shown seasonally from mid May to mid September. Outdoor movies are seasonal and not available any other time. Step inside for a sneak preview of our other exciting features. A stay at the Best Western Movie Manor is an exciting experience you will long remember. View the spectacular San Juan and Sangre de Cristo Mountains and take a stroll in the cool fresh mountain air.

Address:
2830 US Highway 160 W,
Monte Vista, Colorado, 81144-9357, US
Phone: 719/852-5921
Toll Free Reservations: 800-771-9468

Best Western Movie Manor Hotel Information - Overview

The World's only movie hotel!

If I'm ever in Monte Vista Colorado this is where you'll find me after dark.

The Drive-In Oath

I miss the good ol' days of staying up late and watching Monstervision with Joe Bob Briggs.

Coming Soon!

Against the advice of locals and police

Against the advice of locals and police, Clay scours the eerie woods surrounding Crystal Lake for his missing sister. But the rotting cabins of an abandoned summer camp are not the only things he finds. Hockey-masked killer Jason Voorhees lies in wait for a chance to use his razor-sharp machete on Clay and the group of college students who have come to the forest to party.

Doesn’t get much simpler than that, I can’t wait till tonight. We’re off to the Silver Moon Drive-In to see a double feature of Gran Torino and Friday the 13th, and for only four bucks each person!